Paul McCarthy: Head Shop/Shop Head

From gross-out, almost juvenile humor to absurd pop spectacles—like his ongoing outdoor series of large-scale inflatable sculptures—Los Angeles-based artist Paul McCarthy's work is known for poking fun at consumerism by making even the most unassuming objects intimidating and bizarre. His latest show, "Head Shop/Shop Head" at Moderna Museet in Stockholm that opened this month (through 3 September 2006) includes an extensive array of new and older pieces (some dating back to the '60s). Featuring a heavy sampling of his recent multimedia series made with his son Damon McCarthy called "Carribean Pirates," that bears a more-than-coincidental resemblance to images from Matthew Barney's Cremaster Cycle, it seems that McCarthy's target this time may be the art world itself. More images and museum info after the jump.